Refrigerated and frozen food product travels from processing plants to retailers, where the food product remains on display case shelves for an additional period of time. In general, the display case shelves are part of a refrigeration system for storing and displaying the refrigerated and frozen food product, which should be constantly cooled to ensure maximum product life. In the interest of efficiency, retailers attempt to maximize the shelf-life and quality of the stored food product while concurrently maximizing the efficiency of the refrigeration system. In so doing, retailers receive a profit through sales of quality products while minimizing spending on energy costs associated with product display (i.e., refrigeration, etc.).
The refrigeration system plays a key role in controlling the quality of the food product. Thus, any breakdown in the refrigeration system or variation in performance may cause food quality issues. Thus, it is important for the retailer to monitor the equipment of the refrigeration system to ensure it operates at expected levels.
Refrigeration systems generally require a significant amount of energy to operate. Therefore, energy requirements are a significant cost to retailers, especially when compounding energy uses across multiple retail locations. As a result, it is in the best interest of retailers to closely monitor performance of their refrigeration systems to maximize efficiency and reduce operational costs.
Monitoring refrigeration system performance and energy consumption are tedious and time-consuming operations. Generally speaking, retailers lack the expertise to accurately analyze time and temperature data and relate that data to food-product quality, as well as the expertise to monitor the refrigeration system for performance and efficiency. For example, retailers typically set refrigerated display cases at lower than necessary temperatures to protect against a breakdown or stoppage of the refrigeration system. The cooler temperatures keep the food product on display therein at a lower temperature, and thus, allow the retailer more time to repair the refrigeration system before the food product may spoil.
Decreasing the temperature of the food product translates directly into an increase in energy consumption as refrigeration components such as compressors, evaporator fans, and condenser fans draw more energy to reduce the temperature within the display case. As can be appreciated, consuming more energy results in higher energy costs. Because the increase in energy consumption does not necessarily lead to an improvement in the quality or safety of the food product itself, retailers cannot typically pass this additional cost to their customers and thus lose profit.